London, Feb 28 (ANI): Chimpanzee meat is reportedly being sold illegally in restaurants and market stalls in Britain.
The meat, which can cost over 20 pounds a kilogram, is part of a lucrative black market trade that experts describe as 'rife' in Europe, the Daily Mail reports.
The chimpanzee meat is believed to have been discovered following raids by trading standards in the Midlands. After testing the meat that they had seized from vendors, it was confirmed that the samples matched with the endangered species, the paper said.
"It is well known this practice is underway in the region but I was shocked to discover the meat that was tested was once a chimpanzee. Dubious meat is often tested, and has turned out to be things like rats and vermin in the past - but chimpanzee is unbelievable," one of the officials said.
According to Dr Marcus Rowcliffe, a researcher at the Zoological Society of London and an expert on the trade, at least five tonnes of bushmeat arrives in Europe every week to be distributed across the continent.
"I'm not at all surprised that bushmeat is on sale in the Midlands because we know the trade is going on in the UK and that there is a regular flow of smuggled meat into the country," Dr Rowcliffe added. (ANI)
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